Alton w



A. W. INGALLS.

DIRECTION INDICATOR FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JULYI. 19m.

1 $23,866, 7 Patented Dec. 2, 1919.

| I III I g mll'imu III I l I 'IIIHII IIIIIIIII'V I" II" g flrqmp ze I 9 I T lflzz an WINVENTOR.

inder having STAT- S PATENT 'FFTQTE.

ALTON w. INGALLS, or nnnran'ns, chart-"came.

DIRECTION-INDICATOR FOR MOTOR-VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Tree. 2,

Application filed July 1, 1918. Serial No. 242,837.

.Redlands, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Direction-Tndicators for Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

'My invention relates to direction indicators and consists in the novel features herein shoWn, described and claimed.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing a direction indicator embodying the principles of my invention in use upon the forward and rear ends of an automobile and controlled from the steering post.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective of the indicator mechanism at the forward end of the automobile in Fig. 1. i

Fig. 3 is a vertical central sectional detail on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a pro ectcd plan of the sheet forming the cylindrical outer casing and having a sight opening.

Fig. 5 is a projected plan of the glass cylthe illuminable lettering.

Fig. 6 is a perspective of a modified form of indicating mechanism.

The indicator mechanism 1 is mounted upon the front face of the radiator and the indicator mechanism 2 is mounted upon the rear end of the automobile. .The indicator mechanisms 1 and 2 are substantially alike except that they are right and left.

- The details of the indicator mechanism 1 are shown in Figs. 2, 3,4 and 5. A stationary metal cap 3 has an annular retaining flange 4 extending one way from its edge and an attaching ear 5 extending the .other way. A similar stationary cap 6 has an annular retaining flange 7 extending toward the flange 4, an attaching ear 8 extending in the other direction, and an arm 9 extending radially. The stationary cap 3 has a central openlng 10 and the stationary cap i the pintle 13.

6 has a central opening 11.

The movable cap 12 has a pintle 13 fitting rotatablv vin the opening 10 and a nut 14:

screw-seated upon the outer end of the pintle,

to hold the cap rotatably in place, and the cap 12 has an annular retaining flange 15 extending in the opposite direction from The movable cap 16 has an annular retaining flange 17 extending toward the flange 15 and a pintle having a smooth. portion 18 fitting rotatably in the opening 11 and a screw-threaded portion 19 extending beyond the cap 6.

The lamp socket 20 is secured against the inner, face of the movable cap 16 and the lamp 21 is mounted in the socket 20. Else trio wires 22 extend through a central opening 23 in the pintle and movable cap 11") to the lamp socket 20.

The glass cylinder 24: fits between the movable caps 12 and 16 within the retaining flanges 15 and 17 and bolts 25 are inserted through the cap 16 within the cylinder 24 and screw-threaded into the cap 12 to hold the caps 12 and 16 in position upon the ends of the cylinder 24:.

The cylinder 24 is preferably made of clear glass with its body painted or enameled white, and the lines of lettering 26, 27, 28 and 29 painted or enameled to be translucent and tinted light red or pink, so that the letters will be clearly visible or readable in daylight and so that they will be illuminated by the lamp 21 to be visible and readable at night. If desired the glass may be of the desired coloring for the lettering and then the body may be enameled or painted to leave the lettering translucent and the body opaque.

The metal cylinder 30 fits the inner faces of the stationary caps 3 and 6 Within the flanges land 7 and the cylinder has a sight opening 31 adapted to expose one of the lines of lettering at a time; so that when the glass cylinder is rotated the words Stop, or Left, or Going, or Right may be exposed through the sight opening 31 as desired.

A spur pinion 32 is screwed upon the thread 19 and held in place by a pin 33. l swinging arm 34 is pivotally connected to the lower end of the rigid arm 9 by a shouldered bolt and a segmental gear rack 36 is formed integral with the outer end of the movable arm 84 and meshes with the pinion 32. said rack being long enough to rotate the pinion a full three-quarters of a revolution. An ear 37 is formed integral with the arm 3iand gear rack 36.

In the indicator 1 the sight opening 31 will be in position to throw the light forwardly and in the indicator 2 the sight opening 31 will be in position to throw the light backwardly;

A clip 38 is mounted upon the steering post casi 39, a lever 40 is pivotally mounted upon iilie clip 38, a connection 41 leads from the upper end of thelever '40 to the car 37 on the indicatin mechanism 1, and a simllar connection 42 leads from the lower end of the lever 40 to the car 37 on the indicating mechanism 2. An arm 43 extends from the center of the lever 40 at right angles, a bell crank lever 44 is pivotally mounted at the upper end of the ing 39, and a connecting rod 45 connects the short end of the bell crank lever 44 to the arm 43. A four-point sector 46 is fixed upon the upper end of the steering post casing 39 in position to cooperate with the handle 47 extending from the bell crank lever 44.

Preferably the parts are arranged so that when the handle 47 is in its forward positi'on as in Fig. 1, the word Stop will show from the indicator mechanisms 1 and 2, and when the handle 47 is moved to the second point the word Left will show and at the third point the word Going will show and at the fourth point the word Right will show.

In Fig. 6 I have shown a modified form of the indicating mechanism 1 which is es pecially intended for use upon the front end of the automobile. The rectangular plate 48 is lettered on one side Left and on the reverse side Right, and pintles 49 and 50 extend from the ends of the plate and are mounted in hearings in the supporting brackets 51 and 52, and -the supporting brackets are adapted to be secured to the front end of the radiator. The gear 53 is fixed upon the end of one of the pintles and the gear rack 54 is pivoted to the bracket 52 and meshes with. the gear 53, and the cord 41 may be connected to this gear rackr a he gear 32 and cooperating parts or the gear 53 and the cooperating parts will prefa erably be inclosed in a casing toiniprove the steering post cas-.-

a stationary cylin appearance and to protect the partsfrom in l l'y- Thus I have made a direction indicator which will show simultaneously at both ends of the automobile, which may be easily read in daylight or dark, and which may be easily mounted between the caps and having a sight opening, ears for attaching'th'e caps to v a support, a rigid arm extending from one ca p, rotatable caps mounted inside of the stationary caps and having pintles extendmg through the stationarycaps, inder mounted and having a glass cyl- "between the rotatable caps illuminable lines of lettering adapted to appear through the sight opening, a spur pinion upon one of the pintles', a

movable arm pivotally connected to the rigid arm and having a rack engaging the spur pinion, and means for operating the mov-' able arm from a hand-lever mounted on the steering post.

2.An indicatin mechanism er-nprising der having a opening, rotatable caps mounted insi ends of the tending through the ends of the c linderi. a glass cylinder-mounted between t e rotatable caps and connecting the caps together, a spur pinion upon one pintle outside of the stationary cylinder, an arm rigid with the cylinder and having pintles ex e of the.

stationary cylinder,v and a second arm pivotally mounted upon thefirst arm and havmg; a rack engagingthesspur pinion.

ln testimony. whereof I have signed' my name to this specification.

ALTON w. INGALLS. 

